Professor Elliott Lieb ForMemRS

Professor of Mathematics and Higgins Professor of Physics, Princeton University

Following his doctoral work, advised by Sam Edwards in Birmingham, Elliott Lieb soon surprised the field of statistical mechanics with a series of revealing exact solutions of basic one- and two-dimensional models obeying both classical and quantum mechanics. Over succeeding years Lieb grew into the foremost leader in mathematical physics. His "decisive clarification of (the role of) Coulomb interactions" in the quantum mechanics of bulk matter was recognized in 1978 by award of the Heinemann Prize. In 2003, in awarding him the Poincare Prize, the International Association of Mathematical Physics noted his contributions to analysis, including the "discovery of a remarkable range of fundamental inequalities (that now bear his name)", together with his "unceasing quest" to understand the stability of matter on all scales, from atoms and molecules to stars (and their collapse), the Thomas-Fermi theory (especially for heavy nuclei), quantal spin systems, and many other problems. Lieb's energy and enthusiasm continue unabated.